Bittersweet Pain
by ju-crom
Summary: Didn't you know? Women have to be tough to survive. Sakura isn't one to just give up and let the bastards win. Rated K just to be safe for minimal swearing in like one part.


**NOTES: Sakura one shot that I really should have been doing homework while typing. Rather than read through like I normally do I just typed and typed and typed for five hours and came up with this. Because when I start writing these little one shots they turn out super long and drabbly but shh. Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately for me (but very fortunate for you lot) I don't own Naruto or the characters. It sucks. Alot.**

* * *

**Didn't you know? Women have to be tough to survive.**

* * *

Sometimes it just really wasn't her day. Or week.

The tents that lined the village outskirts and housed the civilians and shinobi of Konoha alike weren't exactly the most well protected, that was a given. But the fact that she had been taken during the night by four masked strangers who had managed to slip past the exhausted ninja standing guard was quite pitiful to say the least.

The gag in her mouth cut off her cries and dug painfully into her cheeks, silencing her immediately. Although after they delivered the initial blow to her head they shouldn't have bothered; she was out like a light in moments.

When she came too it was in a darkened room that smelled of blood, sweat and urine. She was strapped firmly to a bench and no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't move and inch. The gag was still there in her mouth; the most sound she could make was a pained 'mmf' through the thick fabric.

Her kidnappers came by hours later, all snide smirks and cold eyes. When the first slap came she instinctively raised her hand. Or tried to. With a painful crunch she squeaked as her wrist cracked against the bindings; probably broken. Her kidnappers laughed cruelly, their eyes glinting in the dim lighting.

Face burning from the sting of the slap, wrist aching from the pain of her jerk and her stomach grumbling from the lack of food; she was not a happy camper.

"Relax, Pinky. We just want to ask you some questions," one of the men said kindly. He caressed her cheek almost lovingly and she suppressed the urge to throw up. Most likely it would only be over herself and she had a feeling these freaks weren't the cleanliest bunch around.

With a vindictive sneer, the speaker yanked the gag from her mouth, probably pulling a few stray hairs with it if the sudden pain in her head meant anything. She gasped from the sudden release of pain in her cheeks, sucking in the horrid air gratefully with tears stinging her eyes. But she said nothing and stared at the ceiling with a hardened grimace. No matter what, she wouldn't give these strangers anything.

"You might as well put the gag back on. I'm not telling you anything," she spat harshly to the speaker. Her voice was cracked from the lack of water but strong nonetheless. She was silently proud of the way it didn't waver, despite her absolute terror.

The blow this time was expected and she turned her face with it to soften the sting.

"Well look who's the brave soldier! I guess looks are a bit deceiving, aren't they. Who would've thought there was a bit of bark in the little princess?" he sneered, rubbing his hands together eagerly. Turning away from her, he addressed his men with a business like voice.

"Bring in the lightning user. This won't take long."

He leant over her, his breath tickling her ear, his hands braced on the bench beneath her.

"I'll ask you nicely, just this once. Where is the Kyuubi?" he murmured softly. He pulled back slightly, their noses almost touching at his close proximity. With her mouth turned up in a vindictive smirk she spat into his face, accepting the slap as he pulled back in shock. With one final disgusted look sent her way he backed away, wiping at his nose nonchalantly.

Her jade eyes narrowed in rage, her mouth turning downwards in an ugly grimace. Kidnapping her had been their first mistake. Underestimating her would be their second. And as the old saying goes; three strikes and you're out.

* * *

Goddamit, she was hungry. After the initial question, her kidnappers had left her alone. The threat of the lightning users seemed to be a hollow one, since nothing had happened. She was left to her thoughts, quickly growing frustrated.

"Can I at least get some food?" she yelled after a while. Her voice bounced off the walls surrounding her and she tched in annoyance. With an annoyed sigh she twisted her head to take in the room she was held in, straining against her bonds. Her breaths grew short as she twitched her injured wrist and she gave up, biting her lips against the tears that welled up from the pain.

**And here we are again, being useless and a general pansy. God, didn't we already say we would stop being a dead weight for Naruto and sensei? How long did that last? 2, 3 days?**

She shook her head, trying to shut out her inners cruel words. But she knew it was no use. Her subconscious was right, as usual.

**Of course I'm right. I always am. I guess we'll just have to wait until Naruto comes to save the day again. Because that's how this friendship works, right? You get our arse into trouble and then Naruto hauls us out of it again. **

"Shuttup," she moaned, closing her eyes.

**You can't shut me up, I'm ****_you_****, you idiot. So what are we gonna do? Cry and hope that someone comes to save us? Like always? **

"No," she muttered. She frowned, trying desperately to find some way out of this.

**There isn't a way out. Unless we can somehow break the straps holding us down, we're stuck here until someone comes to rescue us. **

Now, there was an idea. She was strong, and her kidnappers had already underestimated her on that front. She pushed gently up with her arms and legs, testing the bindings that held her down. They were stiff, cold against her bare skin. Probably metal. She winced as her wrist tugged painfully, biting her lip harder.

**Oh come on. It's just a sprain. At worst, it's broken. If we get free we can fix it immediately. Would Naruto stop if his wrist hurt a little bit?**

Easy for her to say. But it was true; if Naruto was in this situation he would keep fighting until he was free, despite the pain he felt.

"A little encouragement could go a long way," she muttered grumpily. With a determined grimace she pushed up against her bindings once more, gasping in pain as her wrist cracked again. Her teeth broke through her lip and a thin stream of blood ran down her chin as she forced the metal away from her body. It groaned under the pressure, creaking loudly.

"Just... A little... Further-" she huffed. With a grunt, they popped free and she lay still, panting for breath.

**Good work, idiot. Now you're free. What are you going to do now?**

She sat up slowly, cradling her injured wrist against her chest carefully. She was exhausted, starving, in pain and pretty pissed off. And when her chakra fizzled and died when she tried to fix her wrist, she realised she was almost completely out.

Her head snapped to attention as the sound of clapping reverberated around her room. She was still all alone, but the clapping continued, bouncing off the walls eerily.

"Congratulations, Pinky! Never expected such strength from such a tiny little girl such as yourself. Now, I'm quite curious as to what you'll do next."

The cold voice echoed around the room menacingly, sending shivers down her spine. Determined not to show how terrified he made her, she swung her legs off the cold bench and gently slid onto the ground. She had barely taken one step before a familiar crackling met her ears.

**Is that... lightning?**

As if answering her question, the floor lit up in a bright blue mass of energy. She squeaked in terror as the lightning wrapped around her feet, holding her in place. The pain sent shockwaves throughout her body and she collapsed onto her knees, her mind going blank. With painful convulsions, she writhed in agony, screaming at the top of her lungs.

The cruel laughter rang in her ears as she blacked out, giving in to the pain.

* * *

_It was bright and sunny, not a cloud in sight. And there was Naruto, albeit a little bit younger, freaking out about some poison in his hand. Sakura rolled her eyes, knowing how melodramatic he could be. If he would just sit still, the poison wouldn't be as big a problem-_

_The blood that spurted form his hand arced up impressively, showering the ground gently. She blanched, staring at the kunai he had thrust into his skin._

_"There. Now the poison will be gone, right, Kakashi-sensei?" He said happily, grinning up at his comrades with a goofy smile. Kakashi sighed, smiling gently at the younger fool._

_"Naruto, it's nice that you removed the poison so spiritedly, but you'll bleed to death if you lose any more... seriously."_

She woke with a gasp, her head pounding. Why she was remembering that day, of all days, was beyond her. Her ribs ached as she struggled to sit up, and when she moved her hand to clutch it painfully she whimpered from the pain.

**Remember where we are yet?**

She glared at nothing in particular. Her inner was getting more and more annoying the longer they stayed there. Now that she was fully awake she could remember quite clearly. The smell was definitely worse this time around, and she heaved, gagging over the side of the bench. No food came up; she hadn't eaten since the night before she had been taken from her tent.

At least this time she wasn't bound down to the table; she cradled her injured wrist gently and stared at her surroundings. She was still completely alone. With a pained squeak as she moved slowly, she tentatively placed one foot on the ground. The lightning crackled threateningly and she retreated immediately, scurrying backwards until her back rested against the walls.

**How long were we out?**

She shrugged, glaring at the door as if that might somehow get her out. She had to think of something, or she'd never get out.

**Maybe it's not about getting out. Maybe it's just about not letting them know anything. We're stubborn. We can hold out until someone saves us.**

But how long would that be? Hours? Days? Weeks? _Months?_ She knew she wouldn't last months. Even one night in this shithole made her feel weak and useless.

**How is that any different to how we felt before?**

_"Shut up!"_ she screeched, slamming her uninjured fist on the table. Her hand clutched at her head, trying to forcibly shut up her inner. But it was no use, since the voice was inside of her.

She heard an amused chuckled and slowly looked to the door. It was the man from before, the man she had spat at. He looked cleaner, fitter, and more energetic than before. His eyes sparkled manically as he made his way to her side. Her eyes watched in jealousy as he crossed the floor and no crackling energy threatened to engulf him.

"I just want to talk, Pinky. No tricks, no lightning. Just me, and you," he said softly. He perched on the edge of her table, leaning back on his hands casually. Shooting her a charming smile.

**Fuck off, just fuck off. We don't want to talk, we won't talk, you can't ****_make _****us!**

"My name is Yami. And yours?"

He sounded so innocent, so young, so _trustworthy._ But she didn't dare accept the hand that he offered her. She brought her knees up to her chin, burying her face into them so she didn't have to look at him. He sighed in frustration.

"You're not making this easy, Pinky. I just want to know about the Kyuubi. Please, tell me where he is. If you do, we'll let you go. And you won't have to hurt anymore."

She ignored him, trying desperately to block the words that assaulted her ears. It was lies. All of it was just lies. She refused to lower her guard, not for this stranger.

"Pinky. Please," his voice sounded strained, even to her. "Why won't you just tell me? Why are you so hell bent on keeping quiet about the monster? He could kill everyone, just one snap. _Why are you protecting him?"_

Her chin rose slowly and she glared at the boy in front of her with as much hate as she could muster.

"He's not a monster," she murmured quietly. Her voice was almost silent, just a whisper. But she had no more energy to speak up, no more energy to fight against the accusations against her best friend. The boy in front of her glared at her, shoving himself to his feet. In moments, he towered over her, hands visibly shaking in rage.

"I have _tried_ to do this nicely. But I don't have very much patience at the best of times. Last chance. Or I'll make your life a living hell," he snarled. His fist curled into her hair, yanking up so she was forced to look into his eyes. She stared back dully, keeping her face blank. It was easier than mustering up the energy to glare at him.

**Our life ****_is _****a living hell. We'd love to see how you can make that worse.**

With an aggravated snarl he slammed his fist into her face, shoving her roughly into the wall. Muttering, he stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him. The lightning began to crackle, filling the room with the sound of chirping. She realized dully that the wall she rested on was alive with the lightning too, but she was too tired to move.

As the first shocks rippled through her body, she threw back her head in a soundless scream. Her back arched along with the shocks, and somewhere in her mind her Inner screamed for her to move from the wall. But the desperate pleas were lost as she collapsed in a heap on the cool table.

Panting and drenched with sweat, she lay her already swollen cheek onto the smooth surface, gasping in sweet relief at the cold. She lay there without moving, waiting for the next round of pain. It was sure to be a long day.

* * *

Surprisingly, when the door opened again, the stranger who walked in brought her food. True, it was a tiny slice of bread and barely a cup of water, but it was better than nothing. She snatched the food from the tray and wolfed it down hungrily, only stopping to consider the possibility that it might be spiked after she was finished.

The stranger stood to leave and she gazed at him curiously. His body was covered in a thick, shiny looking black substance. Her brow furrowed in confusion; she knew she knew the answer, but she couldn't bring it to mind. Everything was muddled, and nothing seemed to work properly.

**Rubber. So he isn't affected by the lightning.**

She nodded silently to herself, watching the stranger disappear from the room. With a quiet groan of pain, she slowly lowered herself onto her stomach again, laying her cheek against the cool. She figured she had a few hours before they tried to get information from her again and closed her eyes, daydreaming of happier times.

_Naruto skipped ahead of the group, his hand locked tightly in the grip of a small brunette from the Land of Birds. He was chattering about some nonsense ramen that he had eaten the other day at Ichiraku's, and the younger girl listened, completely enraptured by his story. Sai walked by Sakura's side, his blank eyes watching the pair in front of them._

_"I don't understand," Sai muttered after a while. Sakura turned her face to his, a question in her eyes. The pale boy nodded toward the two who had suddenly dissolved into giggles. She smiled softly, watching as Naruto suddenly stopped and crouched down, offering the younger girl his back. With a gleeful shout she jumped on and Naruto straightened slowly, running in a zigzag much to her delight._

_"Why is he so carefree around her? Won't he get caught by the enemy this way?" Sai asked in confusion. Sakura just laughed, rifling in her bag to pull out a small snack. As she nibbled on the edge, her sharp green eyes watched the pair in front of her. _

_Naruto was running around in a circle, his face lit up like a kid on Christmas. His arms were outstretched and the small girl on his back squealed excitedly. Trust him to be so carefree on a B-ranked mission._

_"That's just the way he is. He's not one to be quiet, especially not out in the open like this. And there's no reason why the little girl has to be upset too. 'S not her fault her dad got involved with the wrong people."_

_Sai considered her words with a calculating frown before digging in his own bag to find his book. She rolled her eyes when he began to scribble furiously in the pages, continuing to walk even after he stopped in his concentration. His footsteps sounded behind her and she bit back a laugh as he stumbled on a rock in his haste to catch up again._

_"He is the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki, is he not?" he asked quietly. She was silently pleased that he had the good grace to keep his voice low. It wasn't information that was shared to just anyone. With a nod, Sakura turned her gaze to the sky._

_"How is he so happy? From what my books tell me, the Jinchuuriki are volatile and prefer solitude over human companionship," Sai pressed. Sakura nodded. It certainly seemed that way, from the scrolls that she had read when Lady Tsunade wasn't looking. _

_"Naruto doesn't like to define his life concerning the Kyuubi. He might be its vessel, but he's still a boy. And he's fought so hard to be acknowledged by everyone, I don't see him becoming _volatile _or _solitary_ anytime soon. He likes people too much."_

_Sai nodded silently and turned his attention to the boy acting like a total goofball in front of them. When he opened his mouth again, his words caught her by surprise and she couldn't hide the blush that reddened her cheeks._

_"You care for him very much, Sakura. Even I can see that."_

The daydream came to an abrupt end in the form of a kunai; her scream was no longer silent as the blood trickled down her arms. She shifted her chin until it rested on the table, glaring at her assailants with tear filled eyes. They ignored her, stabbing more kunai into her legs.

"So you don't get the idea that you can run away, Pinky," a familiar voice sneered viciously. Yumi crouched in front of her, his eyes narrowed in distaste. She blinked the tears back, meeting his eyes with her own hate filled ones.

**PUNCH HIM, KICK HIM, MAKE HIM PAY! HELL YEAH!**

Empty words, but they made her smirk. Her inner piped down as if exhausted from the outburst, sliding away to her unconscious mind. The boy in front of her grabbed her by the hair, pulling up roughly. His face was twisted into an ugly grimace, his lips pulled back over his teeth in a soundless snarl.

"Where is the Kyuubi?"

She laughed without humor, shaking her head roughly from his grip. She couldn't move, not with the kunai digging into her skin. She couldn't run, or the lightning that crackled across the floor would fry her. Screaming would be pointless in the situation. But she could do one thing for her comrade.

"Go to hell."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the strangers surrounding her all back off. It became apparent why when the entire table suddenly came alive with the lightning. Despite her earlier assessment, she screamed in agony. It did nothing to ease her pain.

* * *

How long had she been here, lying in her own sweat and blood? They had tried everything, even genjutsu, but she was determined to not let them know anything. Her lips were chapped, her voice hoarse from the screaming. The food that arrived before the torture began anew was moldy and smaller than her first rations. Regardless, she wolfed it down, pushing down the nausea that threatened to bring it back up again.

Her eyes had grown dull, and when she looked to her arms she could see that they were thinner than they had ever been. The kunai's were gone, but she didn't bother trying to get up. The last time she had done that, the lightning had enveloped her body so painfully she hadn't had the energy to pick herself up from the ground to stop it.

And when the questions started, she grit her teeth and shut her eyes, blocking the pain from her mind. Her Inner was no help; she had disappeared into the dark corners of her mind, protecting the information from any sort of genjutsu that tried to pry the information from her while she was out cold.

The days ran into each other and she stopped wishing that someone would come to save her. More often she found herself drifting off into small daydreams of her comrades, providing her with temporary relief from the pain that reality brought her.

_A flash of yellow poking out from behind the silver mass of hair. That cheeky smile, bright blue eyes sparkling despite the exhaustion that lined his face. Even after the children of the village swarmed to their hero, she was pushing her way through the crowds. _

_His eyes met hers, filled with such childish innocence and she scowled at him, hitting him across the head. As he pitched forward from pain she caught him gently and hugged him tightly, closing her eyes against the tears that threatened to spill. _

The cracking of ribs brought her back and she screamed, arching off the table momentarily as if she could somehow bend them back into shape by doing so. As she lowered herself slowly, she let a small smile play on her lips.

**Let them figure that one out.**

_Sai stood next to her at the edge of the trees, watching Naruto out by the waterfall as he trained. The rain was coming down quite heavily, dripping down from her hair and running into her eyes. She blinked the water away, raising a hand to shield her eyes, becoming surprised when the water stopped completely. She peered up and saw only black before turning to Sai._

_He smiled sweetly, offering her the umbrella that he had drawn. She accepted it without a word and they stood quietly, watching their comrade with awe filled eyes._

The sensation of blood dripping down her chin and someone's fingers roughly grabbing her cheeks brought her back.

"For god's sake, just tell us where the fucking Kyuubi is!"

"Go fuck yourself," she spat weakly, her blood stained lips curving up into a smile. This she could do. And when she got her strength back, heads would roll.

His fist slammed into her face and she coughed, choking momentarily on the blood that filled her mouth. What would Naruto do?

_"I don't care who I have to fight! If he rips my arms out, I'll kick him to death! If he rips my legs off, I'll bite him to death! If he rips my head off, I'll stare him to death! And if he gouges out my eyes, I'll curse him from the grave!"_

**Which is all good for him, but we're not Naruto. Go back to the daydreams, they were more pleasant.**

Her inner had a point. As the lightning shot through her body once more, she brought forth a new memory.

_There was a knock on her door and she rushed to answer it, brushing her hands on her shorts as she went. Her hair was a mess, and she was sure that there were bags under her eyes but she didn't care. The only person that she would feel uncomfortable around looking like she did had left years ago. _

_When she opened the door, it was the goofy smile of Naruto that greeted her. He glanced at her up and down and his smile softened as he ran a hand through his hair. _

_"You never stop being beautiful, do you Sakura-chan?"_

* * *

"Sakura-chan!"

Her eyes snapped open at the voice and she peered blearily to the door where the yell came from. And there he was, all blonde hair, blue eyes, feral snarl. He was practically glowing.

No wait, he actually was glowing. The lightening from the floor hit him with such force that he was lifted from the ground and thrown against the wall.

"Naruto!" she shrieked. The palm thrust into her windpipe silenced her cries immediately and she spluttered, trying desperately to get her breath back. She vaguely heard his answering roar of rage and pain, but her eyes had fluttered shut against the pain.

"Naruto, wait. Yamato?"

So Kakashi was there too? And Captain Yamato.

"Got it. Sai, have you got-" "Got it, Captain."

And Sai. She let herself smile, despite the pain that threatened to send her into the black abyss again. As the strangers that surrounded her turned away to face their new threat, she lifted one weak arm and grabbed Yami's arm, forcing his attention back to her.

"You wanted to know where the Kyuubi was?" she rasped weakly. His eyes narrowed and she laughed once, splattering herself and the boy with blood.

"He's right in front of you. And you've pissed him off big time."

As if to prove her point, there was another yell from across the room. Naruto lunged at the strangers, seemingly unaware of the lightning that crackled almost silently under the wood.

**There wasn't wood before.**

The boy tched in annoyance, grabbing her by the hair and hoisting her up into his arms roughly.

"One more step, Kyuubi, and this girl is dead."

She forced her eyes open and peered across the room to where Naruto's clones were currently tearing apart the strangers. His eyes met hers, bright blue and narrowed with fury. She sighed in relief. The Kyuubi was nowhere in sight.

"I've already lost one of my best friends. You're not taking Sakura-chan away as well!" he yelled, pulling kunai from his pouch. Without another word, he sprinted at the boy who held the kunai at her throat, ignoring Kakashi and Yamato's cries for him to stop.

The smile that spread across her face this time was more natural; that was the Naruto she knew best. The man holding her laughing cruelly, going to stab her. But before he could make contact, something dragged her from her arms from behind, cradling her to a thin chest. She peered up and smiled at Sai's blank face, a smile that he gently responded to, before calmly walking over to Kakashi and Yamato over by the door.

Using her last bits of strength, she pulled herself up weakly and searched for Naruto over his shoulder. He was crouched over Yami's shocked form his fist raised. She turned her face into Sai's shoulder, wincing at the crunch and the resounding scream that followed.

A light hand landed gently on her shoulder and she turned, slowly opening her eyes despite the exhaustion that threatened to engulf her. Naruto peered down at her with sorrowful eyes and he held out his arms to Sai slowly. Without argument, he dropped her into Naruto's waiting arms and she sighed, relaxing in his arms.

As she breathed in his familiar scent, she realized that she probably reeked of blood and sweat, but if she did, no one complained. As he walked out first, she closed her eyes against the glaring sunlight that threatened to blind her. He chuckled quietly, a deep rumbling sound that started deep in his chest. She looked up at him with a confused look and he sighed, looking away before catching her eyes again.

And when he spoke those words that made her heart flutter, she smiled and snuggled closer to him, letting his swaying footsteps lull her off into the darkness.

"You never stop being beautiful, do you Sakura-chan?"

* * *

**AND SCENE. The end. I like this one. I don't get why people don't like Sakura as a character. She's strong and she has such an amazing friendship with Naruto and Kakashi, and even Sai at times. I love her to peices, and I'm pretty sure the five hours spent writing this was well worth it. **

**Read and review please xx**


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